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Fall 2004 Departments
Exchange
Around the Pond
Great Sport
Arts
Books
Foundation News
Connections
Extended Family
Zip 01003
Features
The Future's So Bright
The Prince of Pages
The Changing Face of Beauty
Campaigns: Good for What Ails Us?
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Connections
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Hail to the Editor-in-Chief
Teresa M Hanafin ’84: Boston.com’s brainpower
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–Jennifer Howe '99G
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THE OFFICES OF THE DAILY COLLEGIAN in the basement of the campus center and the Boston Globe newsroom in the hub of the universe aren’t as far apart as you might think. No one knows that better than Teresa M. Hanafin ’84, editor-in-chief of Boston.com, a news site affiliated with The Globe.
Her fascination with journalism and writing stems from her days reporting and editing for the Collegian on campus “Writing for a daily deadline, covering breaking news, working a beat, handling a large staff of reporters, coordinating with other editors, dealing with requests and complaints from readers, fending off the administration and student senate...all that, combined with the chance to learn from pros in the journalism department, was invaluable,” says Hanafin, reflecting on her UMass Amherst experience.
Hanafin joined Boston.com in May of 1999 after 15 years with the Globe, where she held Assistant Managing Editor positions for computer-assisted reporting and local news, a job colloquially known as Metro Editor. She started at the Globe as chief of the Cape Cod Bureau, where she not only learned to keep sand off of her keyboard, but also had the opportunity to cover two Kennedy weddings (Maria Shriver’s and Caroline Kennedy’s).
When asked who she would most like to thank from her days at UMass Amherst, Hanafin didn’t hesitate to say Howard Ziff, the now retired journalism professor who taught her to question sharply, write clearly and edit ruthlessly. “He taught me to recognize and cut through the blather and baloney of life, whether it came from obfuscators with something to hide, or showed up in my own writing,” says Hanafin.
In addition to her demanding and deadline-driven career, Hanafin makes time to give back to her community. She has been a big sister in the Big Sister/Big Brother Organization since the early 1980s and also makes time for her nine-year-old yellow lab, Dorothy Barker, who graduated from both puppy kindergarten and advanced disobedience school.
This busy career woman also shows her support for the university that gave her the skills and motivation to be a successful journalist: she became a Life Member of the Alumni Association. “As a Life Member, I get the satisfaction of knowing that in a small way, I’m helping the Association keep graduates of UMass Amherst in touch with the university and with each other. The strong support of its alumni is a critical element of the success of any school.”
To learn more about becoming a Life Member of the Alumni Association, call (800) 456-UMASS (8627). Life Memberships are 80% tax deductible.
www.UMassAlumni.com
http://www.boston.com/
http://www.dailycollegian.com/ |
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Message from the President
Hail to the Editor-in-Chief
Hail to the Editor-in-Chief: larger image
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